Clasp



J. G. FLEMING CLASP Filed Nov. 9, 1925 Patented Aug. 31, 19.2".

matte stares JANET Gr. FLEMING, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

oLAsP.

Substitute for application Serial No. 31,624, filed May 1925;

Serial No. 67,867.

This application is a substitute for my application Serial No. 31,624,filed May 20, 1925.

This invention relates to clasps of the type t employed, for example, onhose supporters or garters, and an object of the invention 1s toovercome, the cutting and wearing of the fabric at the point at whichthe hose is engaged by the clasp.

It is a common experience, when the hose is supported by a clasp of anyof the types at present in use, to have the hose tear or quickly wearthrough at the point where the clasp grips the hose. One reason .55of'the excessive wear when many of the old types of clasp are employedis that the shank of the button presses-the fabric of the hose tightlyagainst the inner edges of the slotted member which the buttonreleasably engages. During the movements of the wearer the hose thustightly clamped does not move relative to the clasp and the threads arestrained and chafed at the point of engagement of the button shank withthe slot ted member. To avoid this,it is an object of this invention toso construct the clasp that pivotal movement can take place between thehose and the slotted member, and the fabric of the hose will be freefrom the shankand hence, will not be strained or chafed.

In all of the prior types of clasp employ ing a button and a slottedmember, clamping of the hose takes place between the under face of thebutton head and the upper face of the slotted member because the spacebe tween the button head and the base of the button is just sufficientto accommodate the thickness of the slotted member and two thicknessesof the fabric of the hose. I avoid clamping at this point by increasingsaid space so that the fabricwill extend loosely beneath the buttonhead.

A further cause of wear to the hose due to the faulty construction ofthe clasps of prior construction is foundwhere the cross bar is bentaround the rounded side bars of the slotted member, the ears of saidcross bar just meeting on the under face of the slotted member so that,when the slotted member is being pulledinto place on the button headand, also, when the hose is in place in the clasp, threads of the hosefrequently are caught and cut by the sharp edges of said ears or arecaught between the ears and side bars and chafed and severed.

This application filed November 9, 1925.

It is anobject of thisinvention to avoid this undesirable feature and,therefore, I elongate an ear at either end of the cross bar sufficientlyso that the longer ears will overlap the shorter ears and the ends ofthe longer ears will come on the upper face of the cross bar, thuseliminating sharp or rough edges liable to catch, tear or out thethreads of the hose.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention:

Figure 1 is a front view of a clasp constructed in accordance with theprovisions of this invention, said clasp being shown as a part ofasupporter or garter, of which the other parts are indicated in brokenlines. a

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation on the line indicated by 22,Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line indicated by 33, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an edge view of the button.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line indicated by 55,Figure 1.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation on the line indicated by 6 6, Figure 1.

There is provided a button 7 adapted to engage a slotted member 8. Thebutton 7 comprises a circular base 9, a shank 10, of relatively smalldiameter, and ahead 11. Preferably the head is formed in part by acovering 12 of rubber or other soft material having a relatively'highcoeflicient of friction so that the fabric of the stocking or othergarment willnot readily slip on the button head. It is to be understoodthat the covering may or may not entirely cover any other material ofwhich the head is partly composed. v

The slot in the slotted member 8 is indicated at 13. It is not new tohave a button project through the slot in a slotted member as indicatedin Figures 2 and 6 in order to clasp a fabric interposed between thebutton and the slotted member, but it will be noted that, contrary tothe usual custom, the diameter of the shank 10 is materially less thanthe width of the slot 13 so that said shank does not press the fabricagainst the inner edges ofthe slotted member. This isan importantfeature of my invention as, when the fabric is not clamped between theshank and the slotted member the fabric is free at these points to pivotwith the button head and is not strained and chafed as results when thediameter of the shank relative to the width of the slot is sufficientlygreat to cause a clamping efiect on those portions of the hose lyingbetween the shank and the inner edges of the slotted member.

In the instance illustrated, the diameter of the shank is not over athird of the width of the slot so as to give plenty of clearance for thepassage of the fabric through the slot and around the head of thebutton. Of

course, the diameter of the head of the butto'n is somewhat greateiqthanthe width. of the slot so that the head of the button will not slipthrough said slot.

It is also to be particularly observed that the space between the buttonhead and the base 9 is materially greater than the thickness of theslottedmember 8 so as to avoidclamping of the fabric at this, point. Thefabric extends loosely beneath the button head, as clearly shown inFigures 2 and '6,

because the space between the button head and baseis greater than thecombined thicknessesof the. slotted member and the two passes of thefabric that is held by the clasp.

This is one of themost important features of the invention and togetherwiththe free dom from'clamping between the shank and the slotted memberinsures that the fabric is free at all points to pivot with the buttonhead, thus avoiding straining and chafing of the fabric. 1 I e e v Thebutton is secured to a flexible tab let which in this instance, passesthrough slots 15 in the base 9. The tab 14 is looped about ahinge joint16 that "connects the slotted member 8 to an eye of thesupporterof whichthe clasp may constitute a part, as suggested in part in broken lines inFigurel, and the tab is doubled upon itself. One thickness of the tabpasses through the slots15.- The tab is of such length as-to maintainthe shank of the button at an appreciable distancev 1 orstart runners inthe hose or other fabric.

. The opposite sides of the slotted member 8 are connectedbya cross bar18 and said cross baris provided atea'ch end with a'pair of ears 19,20,, the ears 19 being bentunder v the slotted member 8 and the ears 20being bent under the slotted member and overlapping th cars 19. The earsQOterminate on the upper face of the cross bar 18. This constructionmakes a. smooth finish where the Q crossbar joinsthe slotted member; atthe comes into contact withthehoseg under .-face of the slotted-memberwhereit In use, assuming that the button is disengaged from the slottedmember, the fabric, indicated at a, of the hose or other garment that isto besecured will be placed over the button 11 and the slotted memberwill then be brought down over the head of the button to the positionshown in Figures 2 and 6.

In Figures'2 and 6 the slotted member is 1. A clasp of the characterdescribed comprising a slotted member, a tab connected with the slottedmember, a button having a base secured to the tab and having a shank ofrelatively small diameter andhaving a head of larger diameter than thewidth of the slot, the head formed in part,

by a soft covering, and the shank s aced sufficiently from the inneredges of the slotted member when the button is in the slot to prevent afabric caught between the button head and slotted member from beingclamped between the shank and said in: ner edges, and the spacebetween the under surface of the head and base being material'- lygreater than the combined thicknesses of the slotted member and twopasses of the fabric, whereby free pivotal movements of the clasprelatively to the fabric are permittedp 2. A clasp of the characterdescribed comprising a slotted member, and a button flexibly connectedwith the slotted member and adapted to engage in the slot of saidmember, said button having a base and having a shankof a diametermaterially less than the width of the slot so that a fabric interposedbetween the button head and the slotted member will be free fromengagement with the shank, and the space between the under surface ofthe head and base being' materially greater than the combinedthicknesses of the slotted member and two passages of the fabric wherebyfree pivotal movements of the clasp relatively to the fabric arepermitted.

A clasp of the character described com-- prising a slotted member, abutton flexibly connected with the slotted member and adapted to engagein the slot of said mem-.

her, and a cross:-barconnecting the opposite sides of the slotted memberand provided at each end with a pair of ears, one

I ear of each-pair being bent under theslotted member and the other earof each pair being bent under the slotted member and overlapping thefirst mentioned ears.

4. A clasp of the character described comprising a slotted member, and abutton flexibly connected with the slotted member and adapted to engagein the slot of said memher, said button having a base and having a shankof a diameter not greater than onehalf of the width of the slot so thata fabric interposed between the button head and the slotted member willbe free from engagement with the shank, and the space between the undersurface of the head and base being no less than three times thethickness 01'' the slotted member so that said fabric is iree to turn onthe button head, whereby tree pivotal movements of the clasp relativelyto the fabric are permitted.

5. A clasp of the character described comprising a slotted member, a tabconnected with the slotted member, a button having a base secured to thetab and having a shank, said shank being spaced from the lower end ofthe slot of the slotted member when the tab is taut, the diameter of theshank being not greater than one-half of the width of the slot so that afabric interposed between the button head and the slotted member will befree from engagement with the shank, and the space between the undersurface of the head and base being no less than three times thethickness of the slotted member so that said fabric is free to turn onthe button head, whereby i'ree pivotal movements of the clasp relativelyto'the fabric are permitted.

Signed at Los Angeles, Caliii, this 2nd day of November 1925.

JANET G. FLEMING.

